Rope traverse device

ABSTRACT

A traverse device for passing an above deck anchor rope or cable through a small opening in the deck to a below deck windlass or fastening, has a plate covering the deck opening and rollers rotatably supported substantially below the plate by ears projecting down from the fore and aft ends of the plate. The forward roller has its periphery at the top substantially tangent to the top of the plate and the aft roller has its periphery at the bottom aligned with the pulley or drum of the windlass. The forward roller is located in a rope guiding slot through the plate and the plate may have rope guiding means pendant therefrom for guiding the cable from the windlass pulley to the aft roller. Alternatively, a grooved slide may replace the aft pulley.

United States Patent 1 3,661,113 Benedict 51 May 9, 1972 ROPE TRAVERSE DEVICE Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix 72 Inventor: Frank A. Benedict, 316 South Orchard Road, Syracuse, NY. 13219 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: June 15, 1970 Appl No.: 46,147

A traverse device for passing an above deck anchor rope or cable through a small opening in the deck to a below deck Windlass or fastening, has a plate covering the deck opening and rollers rotatably supported substantially below the plate by ears projecting down from the fore and aft ends of the plate. The forward roller has its periphery at the top substantially tangent to the top of the plate and the aft roller has its periphery at the bottom aligned with the pulley or drum of the Windlass. The forward roller is located in a rope guiding slot through the plate and the plate may have rope guiding means pendant therefrom for guiding the cable from the Windlass pulley to the aft roller. Alternatively, a grooved slide may replace the aft pulley.

1 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures mm 1 ail FRANK A.BE

PATENTEU MAY 9 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2 PATENTEDMAY 9 1972 SHEET 2 [IF 2 ATTORNEYS ROPE TRAVERSE DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to anchor rope devices and in particular to a device adapted to be secured over an opening in the deck for traversing the anchor rope for small boats from above deck to a below deck windlass, drum, or fastening.

Small boats equipped with an anchor which is normally stored on the deck or on a davit at the bow of the boat have heretofore been required, if a power driven windlass is used for raising and lowering the anchor, to have at least the rope gripping pulley of the windlass above deck regardless of whether the inboard end of the rope is stored above or below deck. This results in an additional encumbrance on the deck interfering with movement of persons thereon. Each additional encumbrance presents a dangerous underfoot hazard to the crew moving about the deck engaged in such occupations as tending sail or preparing to get under way.

Also-it may be advantageous in some cases to have a cleat or other fastening device for the anchor rope below the deck.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The device of the present invention is designed to project only minimally above the deck and to allow the anchor rope to pass therethrough to or from a windlass which is completely below the deck, storage of the inboard end of the cable being below the deck. The device is adapted to be placed over and covering a small opening in the deck and a narrow slot therein allows the cable to pass therethrough to or from the windlass. A roller is provided at the fore end of the device and another roller or other rope guiding means is provided at the aft end of the device so that the cable can run freely thereover whether the anchor is being lowered or raised. The rollers and rope guide means are disposed substantially completely below the surface of the deck so that the cable itself is the only encumbrance above the deck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention in place covering an opening in the deck which is shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1, the deck opening being shown in broken lines;

FIG. 3 is top plan view thereof; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are left and right end elevational views thereof, respectively.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modification of the device shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. I, the device 10 has a top cover plate 11 which fits over and completely covers an opening 12, indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2, in the deck 13, shown in section in FIG. 1. A powered windlass having a cable-gripping pulley 14, shown fragmentarily in FIG. 1, is secured to the lower surface of deck 13. The plate 11 is secured, as by the screws 15, to the upper surface of deck 13.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plate 11 is slotted at 16 and a pair of ears 17, at the forward end of and integral with plate 11, depend therefrom spaced on either side of the slot. A forward roller 18, rotatably mounted on a shaft 19 secured in cars 17, is disposed in the slot 16 and is of such size as to bring the top of its periphery substantially tangent to the line of the upper surface of plate 11.

Another roller 20 aligned with roller 18, is rotatably supported on a shaft 21 secured in a pair of spaced ears 22 pendant from the aft end of plate 11. The ears 22 are longer than ears 17 and the roller 20 is of such size that its periphery at its bottom is aligned with the rope receiving trough of the windlass pulley I4.

Aft of the roller 20, the plate 11 is provided with a pendant boss 23 and the shank of an eye 24 is threaded therein for guiding the cable from pulle 14 to roller 20 as shown.

The rope 25, usually onealf inch in diameter or larger for small boats, extends from pulley 14 of the windlass forward through eye 24 and under roller 20. At roller 20, the rope inclines upward through the slot 16 and over roller 18 and thence forward to the anchor at the bow of the boat. Although the rope 25 is shown out of contact with roller 18 in FIG. I for clarity, it will be understood that the anchor may conveniently be normally secured on a davit and retained thereon by tension on the rope 25 obtained by locking the pulley I4 of the windlass.

Although the anchor is usually secured to the bow it will be understood that it may be secured at any other part of the boat. To lower the anchor, the pulley is unlocked to allow the anchor to fall by gravity or the windlass may be operated to lower the anchor at a controlled speed. To raise the anchor the windlass is operated in the reverse direction to pull the anchor onto its davit or to raise it to a position where it may be secured by hand to retaining clips. The rope is guided over roller 18 by the sides of slot 16 and is guided over roller 20 by the slot and by the eye 24. It will be apparent the rollers 18 and 20 may be flat as shown or may be in the form of pulleys with grooved cable-guiding surfaces.

A cleat or other fastening device, not shown, may be provided below the deck between the device 10 and the windlass pulley 14, to which the rope 25 may be secured when the boat is riding at anchor.

When the anchor is raised or when the boat is riding at anchor the above deck portion of cable 25 lies substantially flush with the deck and the inboard end of the cable is automatically stored below decks where it drops from the windlass. The opening 12 in the deck is completely covered by plate 11 and the only encumbrance on deck is the above deck portion of the cable.

In FIG. 6 the aft roller 20 is shown replaced by a single pendant boss 30 integral with plate 11 and having a rounded and curved groove 31 across its lower end, as shown, the groove being polished to reduce the friction of the usually wet rope 25 sliding therealong.

As will be apparent to those familiar with the art, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

I claim:

I. A rope traverse device for conducting a rope through an opening in the deck of a boat having an anchor adapted to be lowered from and raised to a fixed point on the deck perimeter by the rope connected to a rope-gripping wheel of a belowdeck rope-handling device, comprising: a coverplate adapted to be secured to the deck above and covering the opening, the plate having a first pair of transversely spaced pendant ears at the end of the plate toward the fixed point on the deck perimeter and a second pair of transversely spaced pendant ears at the other end of the plate, the ears being adapted to extend through the deck opening, a roller rotatably secured between each pair of ears, the rollers being rotatable about substantially parallel axes, the roller between the first pair of ears having its periphery at its top substantially tangent to the upper surface of the plate, the roller between the second pair of cars having its periphery at its bottom disposed below the deck adapted to receive the rope passing over the other roller, the plate having a slot therethrough between the rollers, the sides of the slot being adapted to guide the rope from one roller to the other, and rope guide means pendant from the plates other end for guiding the rope under its adjacent roller and toward the rope gripping wheel aligned with the rollers. 

1. A rope traverse device for conducting a rope through an opening in the deck of a boat having an anchor adapted to be lowered from and raised to a fixed point on the deck perimeter by the rope connected to a rope-gripping wheel of a below-deck ropehandling device, comprising: a coverplate adapted to be secured to the deck above and covering the opening, the plate having a first pair of transversely spaced pendant ears at the end of the plate toward the fixed point on the deck perimeter and a second pair of transversely spaced pendant ears at the other end of the plate, the ears being adapted to extend through the deck opening, a roller rotatably secured between each pair of ears, the rollers being roTatable about substantially parallel axes, the roller between the first pair of ears having its periphery at its top substantially tangent to the upper surface of the plate, the roller between the second pair of ears having its periphery at its bottom disposed below the deck adapted to receive the rope passing over the other roller, the plate having a slot therethrough between the rollers, the sides of the slot being adapted to guide the rope from one roller to the other, and rope guide means pendant from the plate''s other end for guiding the rope under its adjacent roller and toward the rope gripping wheel aligned with the rollers. 